The present disclosure relates to a security device and method to surround merchandise with a cord having a knot, housed within a lock component. The cord may be lengthened and shortened from about the knot in the lock component so as to appropriately surround the merchandise and then locked from about the knot in the lock component.
Retail stores face the problem of providing potential consumers with opportunity to pick-up and handle various forms of merchandise packaging at a cost that the merchandise packaging may be broken into and the particular merchandise within stolen. Often, retailers display particular merchandise behind glass casing, with access only provided to the consumer after a store employee unlocks the casing and removes the merchandise on behalf of the customer. Other merchandise, particularly high-end merchandise, are often fitted with anti-theft security devices having mechanical and/or electrical lock and cable to wrap merchandise in a closed condition. These wrap locking devices allow for a customer to pick up and inspect the packaging of the merchandise. However, these wrap locking devices often include numerous mechanical components to lock the device on or around the merchandise and necessitate a store employee to eventually unlock and remove the device.
For example, a particular security device, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,464, includes a locking member, ratchet member, and plurality of cables. The ratchet member includes a gear and bearing to form a reel of which the cables are wound and unwound. The security device is tightened around a package by rotating the gear and bearing with an external tool. The tool operates the latch mechanism, both for tightening the cable about the object to be protected and to release the latch mechanism after the security component has been removed from the package, to enable the internal mechanism on which the cable is wound to be free-wheeling in order to be pulled outwardly to a larger size for placement around another package.
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,401, another security device includes a strap, housing with a locking mechanism, cables, and crossover connector. The cables extending through the crossover connector and are affixed to a package as the strap is inserted into the housing, with the cables connected to both the strap and housing. Locking fingers in the housing engage teeth along the strap as the strap is slid in. A key is required to deflect the locking fingers out of locking engagement and away from the teeth of the strap to release the security device from the package.
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,086, another security device includes a ratchet mechanism, locking member, and plurality of cables. Cables extend through a fastener and base of the locking member. The fastener is releasably snap-fitted into the base and secured by magnetically attractable tine. The ratchet mechanism includes spool and locking pawl. The housing of the ratchet mechanism includes a rotatable central portion key receiving recess to unlock the spool from the pawl. A rotatable top wall portion of the housing has a flip-up handle to rotate the top wall portion and the internal ratchet to tighten the cable to an article. A key is required to engage with the locking member to place the locking mechanism in a cable loosening direction so as to remove the security device from an article.
Due to the design in these devices, incorporating often numerous components to lock and/or ratchet cable around merchandise, the components themselves are often costly to manufacture. This in turn results in limited purchase orders by a retailer. Thus, the retailer is limited from applying these types of security devices to as many merchandise as they desire. Also due to cost, these devices are recycled. To recycle usage of the devices, the devices often require a key, as exemplified above, possessed by a store employee such as a cashier or manager, to remove the device from merchandise at or before checkout. Store employee interjection to remove the device from merchandise often slows down the checkout process. Due to the limited supply of these devices in a store because of cost and to prevent an elongated checkout for a customer, the devices are typically only placed on few high-end merchandise.
What is needed is a device and method to surround merchandise that can protect a product for one time use, which is disposable and does not require retailer intervention to remove the device. The disposable security device would be more cost effective to manufacture and may be applied to a larger number of store items. A disposable security device that can be thrown out by the consumer at home would decrease the waiting time for consumers at check-out.